Attachment for opening and closing automobile-doors.



S. J. WAY.

ATTACHMENT FOR OPENING AND CLOSING AUTOMOBILE DOORS.

- APPLIUATION FILED MAR. 31, 1010.

986,880, Patented Mar. 14, 1911.

2 8HEETS-SHEET l.

Solymanf 74 a S. J. WAY.

ATTACHMENT FOR OPENING AND CLOSING AUTOMOBILE DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31, 1010.

986,880, Patented Mar. 14, 1911.

2 SHEETS-HEIGHT 2.

avwmdoz,

' alto (M44 citizen of the United States,

. for Openin details UNITED I: 'sTAtrns PATENT OFFICE:

ISOLYMAN .1. WAY, or MANCHESTER, VERMONT.

Be it known that I, SOLYMAN J WVAY, a

Manchester, in the county of Bennington and State of Vermont, have invented new and useful Improvements in Attachments Doors,

of w ich the following is a speci This invention relates to improvements in door operating devices and has particular reference to a device of that kind adapted "to open and close the side doors on the body of an automobile or other vehicle.

One object of the invention is the provision of a device whereby the driver occupying the front seat ma",,'without the necessity of leaving the vehicle or in any way changing his position, open and close either side door.

Another object is the provision of a construction whereby the latches which hold the doors in locked position will be. actuated to release the doors in advance of the opening movement of the doors.

With these and other objects in view as will more fully hereinafter appear, the present invention consists in certain novel of construction, and arrangement of parts hereinafter to he more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims; it being understood-that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details ofthe device may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit I or sacrificing any of the advantages ofithe present invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification: Fi re 1 is a side elevation .of a portion of t e body of an automobile with a portion of the side thereof broken away and showing my improved device applied. Fig.2 is a sectional end elevation on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fi 4 is a detail perspective of the hinges and pintle. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the operating rod for thedoor and latch.

Similar numerals of reference are employed"to designate corresponding parts throughout.

The sides of the body'are-designated by the numerals 5 and 6, the front seat by the Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed March 31, 1910.

residing at and Closing Automobile side of the seat and ATTAQHMENT FOR OPENING AND CLOSING AUTOMOBILE-DOORS.

Patented Mar.

14,1911. Serial No. 552,612.

numeral 7 and the rear seats by the numeral 8. The doors sealing the space between the front numerals 9 and 10,. Since these parts are all of well known construction,'a detailed description of the same Bv reference be seen that the doors are, as usual, hingedly united with the body by hinges 11 and 12. These hinges are of peculiar construction eachcomprising a pair of leaves 12 and '13. Each door is provided with a pair of hinges arranged adjacent to its upper and lower ends, the leaves 13 being fixedly secured to the body while the opposite leaves 12 are fixedly secured to the doors. A common pintle is employed for each pair of hinges. These members are designated by the numeral 14 and extend, as usual, through the pintle lugs of the leaves 12 and 13 and are fixedly secured in the pintle lugs of the leaves carried by the doors. With this construction it is obvious when the pintles 14. are turned in one direction, the doors willmove outwardly from the body, and when turned in the opposite direction, the said doorswill move inwardly.

By reference to Fig. 2, it will be seen that an operating lever is arranged, at one side of the front seat 7. This member is designated by the numeral 15 and is fulcrumed on the inner face of the body and extends downwardly to a point considerably below the lower face of the body. The upper end of the operating lever extends to the upper is in convenient reach of the driver.

What will subsequently be termed a rock arm is designated by the numeral 16. This member is provided at its upper end with a 'U-shaped extension, the opposite terminals of which receive the opposlte ends of a cross tree 17. It might here be stated that the lower end of the pintle 14 is divided so as to provide a U-shaped extension similar to the upper end of the rock arm 16. The

opposite terminals of the U-shaped extens1on of the pintle 14 receive the opposite ends of the crosstree 17, whereby a universal joint isestablished between the rockarm and pintle. The rock arm 16 extends downwardly and obliquely and through the flared lower end of the body and at that portion of the body through which the rock arm extends, a boxing 18 is provided in which the. said rock arm is journaled. Thelower end and rear seats are designated by the of a flexible element 28 trained over the 1 of the rock arm terminates in a crank 19 arranged below the flare of the body and extending toward the central line of the latter. The crank 19 terminates in a handle 20 extending vertically downward with its lower end in a plane with the lower end of the operating lever 15.

: Connection between the handle 20 and lower end of the operating lever 15 is established bymeans of a connecting rod 21,

one end of which is pivoted for horizontal movement to the lowerend of the operating lever while-the opposite end is provided with an elongated slot 22 which receives the lower end portion of the handle 20.

In the operation of the device thus far described and assuming that the door 9 is in closed position as shown-in Fig. 1, and the operating lever 15 movedrearwardly to its full extent, the rear end of the slot 22 will bear against the lower end portion of the handle 20. By now moving the upper end portion of the operating lever forwardly will result in moving the lower end rearwardly' whereby the connecting rod will likewise be moved rearwardly until the forward end of the slot 22 abuts against the lower end portion of the handle 20 whereupon contlnued rearward movement of the connecting rod will turn the said handle whereby the rock arm 16 and pintle 14 will be rotated and the door opened.

Reference to Fig. 1 discloses the fact that the door is held in closed position by means of a latch 23. This member is slidably fitted in the body of the vehicle and is normally from thedoor in order that the latter may be opened in the manner before described; 1n order to carry out this construction whereby the latch will be released in advance of theputward movement of-the door the following is employed: Rotatably mounted on a shaft 25 arranged between the free end of the door and operating lever 15 is a grooved sheave 26, located below the latch 23, and prvoted to the bottom of the body and in ahnement with the sheave is the intermediate portion of a lever 27. Connection be tween one end of the lever 27 and the rear sheave 26, the opposite ends of'which are fixedly secured to the latch and lever. Fix- -edly secured to the upper side of the connecting rod 21 and underlying the lever 27.

It is evident that some means is a stud 29, one end of which is beveled as shown at 30. The beveled end of the stud lies adjacentto the operating lever 15, and the stud is so disposed that when the door 9 is closed, the free end of the lever 27 will bear on the extremity of the beveled end 30 of the stud; when however, the operating lever is moved to open the door in the manner before described, and the connecting rod 21 moves forwardly the said beveled end 30 of the stud will tilt the lever 27 so that the end of the latter connected with the flexible element 28 will descend whereupon the latch- 23 will be moved from engagement with the door and in advance of the opening movement ofthe door. Whenthe door on the opposite side of the body is to be manipulated, the same arrangementof parts isprovided for the said opposite door and a second operatinglever 31, is employed which is arranged-adjacent to' the operating lever' 15.- The lower end of the operating lever 31 however, is keyed to a transversely disposed shaft 32 having its opposite ends journaled in the sides 5 and 6 of the body. That end of the shaft remote from the lever 31 is-provided with a depending arm 33, the lower end of which is pivoted to a connecting rod 34: similar to the rod 21. The connecting rod 34 is connected to the pintle 14 of the door opposite to the-door shown in Fig. 1 insthe same manner in 'whichthe connecting rod 21 is connected, so that movement of theopcrating lever 31'in'either direction will result in opening 701' closing the door 10 and "operating the latch in. the manner described.

From the foregoing it can be seen that I have provided a device that is comparatively simple in structure. and inexpensive to manufacture embodying few parts and is so arranged that the juncture of derangement will-be reduced toa minimum. 7

Having thus described the invention what is claimed, is i I 1. In a door'manipulating apparatus, the combination with a door and its frame; of leaf hinges connecting the said door and frame, a common pintle for said hinges fixedly secured to the leaves carried by the door, a latch arranged in the door frame to engage with the door and maintain the latter in closed position, an operating lever, a

rocker arm, means connecting the rocker arm with the latch and a connection between the b' operating lever and the pintle operating to turn the latter, and means associated with the said connection operating to actuate the rocker arm to ,move the :latch from engagement with the door in advance of the turn ing movement of the pintle. 7

2. In a door manipulating.apparatus,.the

combination with a door and its frame, of

leaf hinges uniting the said door and frame and having a common pintle fixedly secured to the leaves carried by the door, a spring latch carried big the door frame tov engage ter in advance of the opening movement of 10 with the door w en the latter is in closed pothe door. sition, an operating lever, a connecting rod? In testimony whereof I aflix my signature having its terminals connected with the pinin presence of two witnesses.

; tle and operating lever and serving to open I the door when the said operating lever is SOLYMAN moved in one direction, and a flexible ele- Witnesses: ment operable by the connecting rod and EDWARD GRIFFITH,

connected to the latch for retracting the lat CHAS. O. HARD. 

